To My Readers



If this is the first time you're visiting my blog, thank you. Whether you're interested or just curious to find out about PCB reverse engineering (PCB-RE), I hope you'll find something useful here.

This blog contains many snippets of the content in my books to provide a more detailed overall sampling for my would-be readers to be better informed before making the purchase. Of course, the book contains more photos and nice illustrations, as evidence from its cover page. Hopefully, this online trailer version will whet your appetite enough to want to get a copy for yourself.

Top Review

I started doing component level repair of electronics with (and without) schematics more than 40 years ago, which activity often involves reverse-engineering of printed circuit boards. Although over the years my technical interests have shifted into particle beam instrumentation, electron microscopy, and focused ion beam technology fields, till this day——and more often than not——PCB repairs have returned multiple multi-million-dollar accelerators, FIB, and SEM instruments back to operation, delivering great satisfaction and some profit.

Many of the methods described by Keng Tiong in great details are similar to the approaches I've developed, but some of the techniques are different, and as effective and useful as efficient and practical. Systematic approach and collection of useful information presented in his books are not only invaluable for a novice approaching PCB-level reverse engineering, but also very interesting reading and hands-on reference for professionals.

Focus on reverse engineering instead of original design provides unique perspective into workings of electronics, and in my opinion books by Keng Tiong (I've got all three of them) are must-read for anybody trying to develop good understanding of electronics——together with writings by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill, Phil Hobbs, Jim Williams, Bob Pease, Howard Johnson and Martin Graham, Sam Goldwasser, and other world's top electronics experts.

Valery Ray
Particle Beam Systems Technologist

Thursday, October 13, 2022

Lightning Don't Strike Twice...

For those who're wondering about my inactivity on the blog...

After more than ten years, quite a number of things started breaking down around the house. It began with the wall-mounted LCD TV showing a bright spot in the middle with occasional image blur. Then the aircon unit started acting strangely turning on and off by itself. Some say that it's a telltale sign of aircon short cycling. Later on, my wife bought a new electric kettle to replace the old one but after two weeks of use, the kitchen power socket suffered a meltdown which led to the discovery of current leakages in two of the main ELCB units.

And if things couldn't get any better, the kitchen light went down followed by the study light. More recently, the faucet tap of the master toilet which I bought and installed only a month ago started leaking with rust in the water. It's supposed to be 304 stainless steel but when I opened it up to check, the valve and bottom shaft were completely rusted. That really put a damper on my writing inspiration as I wrestled to rectify these problems. And it cost me quite a sum especially the new aircon system.

Now that I managed to put things back in order, hopefully I can refocus and catch up on my writing again. Here's a sample on Chapter 3 which I'm currently working on:

They say that lightning don't strike twice on the same spot. Yeah, more like a couple of times in my case. And it ain't funny at all. It's one thing to feel the seven-year itch of being an author, but it's a different thing altogether to experience a series of disruptions in a short space of time. Maybe it's telling me the time has come to call it a day.

Hopefully, I can get through this last engineering book before that happens...

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3 comments:

  1. Biotech97October 14, 2022 at 1:01 AM

    I understand how you feel as I myself went through something similar when I was in college. I understand how defeat sometimes punches you real hard you don't want to get back up.. it does suck but as the saying goes " this to shall pass " adversities happen to everyone so your not alone. You have genuine readers that support you and admire your work ( I'm one of them ). I would even donate some funds to you if your willing to accept to help out in anyway.

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  2. Ng Keng TiongOctober 14, 2022 at 9:00 AM

    Thank you for the kind offer, and for the encouraging words. You are a good man, Sebastian, and I'm glad to have a supportive reader like you!

    I can still manage financially; it's just that the disruptions keep coming they tend to break my momentum and motivation to write. Also, I need to let my readers who're following my blog know what I'm up against, so they know why there's little or no update on my progress. I've been through tougher times and I know how important it is to keep going and doing what you believe in.

    Since starting my journey as an author, I have not taken my wife on a vacation (in almost seven years). Hopefully, after I finish this final engineering book and travel situation permits, I will like to take her on a overseas holiday to show my appreciation for her support.

    Have a great weekend, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Biotech97October 16, 2022 at 12:34 PM

    Always know we're cheering you on !! Even if it's not many. Know that you have true loyal readers. Take care and I'll be waiting for your next masterpiece.

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